Saturday, February 23, 2008

What a Break!!

Well for anyone wondering I've made it back to Kingston. I had an awesome break and can't wait to get back to Shoal Lake for another, though I don't know when that will be. I don't even know for how long, but I know it will be a gooder no matter what! Sadly I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see, but I got to see my family and some of the people I consider family even though we don't share any blood. Some highlights of the week:

- My delayed train, which left me marooned in Toronto on Friday night.

- Saturday! Picked up bright and early at the airport. Made it home despite the crappy roads, and with a small detour in Portage la Prairie. Then a good nap, supper, and then I was gone until Sunday at lunch time. Needless to say many a drink were consumed and it was small "family" reunion in the Shoal Lake Bar. Awesome band, and simply amazing to see some of my friends again and all the good towns people! Then it was off to Jordan's house for an exciting few hours. I even introduced Jordan's Mexican friends to Captain Blacks! Maybe not a healthy introduction but the odd cigar every now and then never hurt anyone. I woke up in another house the next morning but I remember it all and only paid for my fun with a headache and the desire to stay away from food.

- Sunday was Julie's birthday! Saw the family, and stuffed my face full of grub. I also got to hang out with my favourite cousin Austin!

- Monday was the ski trip to Assessippi with Allison, Jordan and company. Awesome day. Allison turned her snowboard into a tobbagan and just a damn good day outside in the fresh air.

- Tuesday, pretty boring for the first bit. Made a solo trip into Brandon for some stuff. Pretty boring, but then I ended up at Arnfinsons playing Guitar Hero with Skylar. Later that night I found myself in Rossburn Bar with Jordan and company. After a few rounds of pool, and me once again introducing the Mexicans to something new (Alexander Keith's beer), we found ourselves at Jordan's buddy's house introducing the Mexicans to snowmobiling. Then it was back to Shoal Lake with a small stop in a field to have some celebatory bottle rocket firing. Bottle rockets are the best fun I've had for $2.99 in a long time.

- After taking it easy Wednesday, Thursday was time for some action. After a stint as the guest of honor for my old cadet squadron banquet, it was off to Brandon for a night on the town. Jordan, the two Matts, and I attended the "Save a Bus, Ride a teacher social". It was also Matty's first night in the big city bar/club. We introduced him to Jagerbombs, and taxi rides. Very good night!

- Friday I made it home from Brandon. Visited my Grandparents, and finished my visiting rounds with a visit to Mark & Cyndy's.


I apologize to anyone I didn't get a chance to see! Hopefully I get lots of time in the summer and we'll catch up!!

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Some Truth Via Email

This is just an interesting forward I got today from a friend of mine. I'm sure many of you have seen it or seen similiar but it's always true and always an entertaining read. FYI for anyone reading this who's not from Manitoba, it's a joke so don't take it to seriously.

Manitoba

Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Heaven, God was missing for six
days. Eventually, Michael the Archangel found Him, resting on the
seventh day. He inquired of God, "Where have You been?"

God sighed a deep sigh of satisfaction and proudly pointed
downwards through the clouds, "Look Michael, look what I've made!"

Archangel Michael looked puzzled and asked, "What is it?"

"It's a planet," replied God, and I've put life on it.

I'm going to call it Earth, and it's going to be a place of great balance.

"Balance?" inquired Michael, still confused.

God explained, pointing to different parts of Earth, "For example,

Northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while
southern Europe is going to be poor; the Middle East over there will be a
hotspot.

And over there I've placed a continent of white people, while over
here is a continent of black people." God continued, pointing to
different countries. "This one will be extremely hot and arid
while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."

The Archangel , impressed by God's work, then pointed to a large
land mass and said, "What's that one?"

"Ah," said God. "That's Manitoba , the most glorious place on
earth. There are beautiful lakes, rivers, sunsets and rolling hills. The
people from Manitoba are going to be modest, intelligent and humorous and
they are going to be found traveling the world.

They will be extremely sociable, hardworking and high achieving,
and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats and carriers of
peace."

Michael gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed,
"What about balance, God? You said there would be balance!"

God replied wisely, "Wait until you see the dingbats I'm putting
around them in Ontario & the U.S.

Only someone who has grown up in Manitoba will send this on.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Be Prepared to Read

Well I made it home......no thanks to VIA Rail. I've seen modes of transportation late before but no more then half an hour at most. Well that was until Friday night. My train out of K-town was two hours late, which resulted in the rebooking of my flight and becoming one of those people you see living in the airport. Big airports really should look into getting those lounges like the big truck stops have, because living in Wolfgang Puck's restaruant isn't my idea of a good time. Though because of this delay, I was able to experience the marvels of public transportation in Toronto. If The Weatherkans think Winnipeg is horrible, they should maybe consider writing a song about Toronto. I'd have to say there is little love in Toronto and I felt about as safe as I would walking downtown Winnipeg. So after some experimentation with the subway system, and the city buses I made it to Pearson Airport, where I then proceded to get the grand tour, because I got off at the wrong bus stop. Let's just say it was an adventure and a half, that lacked food and sleep. Eventually I made it to Manitoba, and eventually I made it back to home sweet home.

After a small nap, and the first long sleep I'd had in over a day I decided to hit up the town of Shoal Lake. Now I'm not going to brag but I've hit up a few places since discovering the greatness of a few good drinks. I've been to St. Catherines Street in Montreal, bar hopped in St. Jean, made it to Kingston's finest establishment the Ale House, saw some of the Winnipeg scene, got into the Hollydome in Yorkton, and seen the establishments of Brandon to many times to recall. Now all of those places were a blast, but small town Manitoba will always beat the big places even if small town Manitoba lacks girls for me to get shot down by. Let's just say my return to Shoal Lake, was a good one and I'm lucky to have felt so good when I woke up on a floor that was not even entered into the equation at the start of the night.

You could say I feel the same feelings for Shoal Lake and its bar as Toby Keith when he sings "I Love this Bar." I remember saying something about that lastnight when I was downing the gin like tomorrow wasn't going to happen with my old high school friend, who also agreed that despite its lack of change that Shoal Lake is a great place. I think we both agreed to retire here and spend our retirement hunting and fishing.

So no post would be complete without me complaining about something. This complaint I'm about to make is something I've mentioned before. Making out. Like everyone else with a properly working jaw, a tongue, and clean mouth I like it. What I don't like is when people are doing it in public. Now I'm sure all you people guilty of it love each other or think you love each other or what ever. Does that mean you need to make out in the train station, the airport, the subway, the bar, or some other public venue? No I don't think so. It sorta's the same concept as "I enjoy talking to my friends, but I don't in class" or "I like to party and have a few drinks but I don't do it on Mainstreet or in front of the Mounties." Catch my drift? Save that for the privacy of anywhere but a public place, because I'd hate for you public kissers to get stupid and brave and do something I'd rather see even less.

What else is there to say. Life at RMC is good, though holidays are nice. Last weekend was Westpoint Weekend, which is where people from Annapolis come to visit.......not! Westpoint Weekend is the traditional weekend exchange of Canada and America's finest officer cadets between RMC and Westpoint (US Military Academy aka the US Army equivelant of RMC). That was a fun weekend, it's very entertaining to see people dressed in clothes meant for downtown Baghdad walking around in a foot of snow. It's also interesting to meet our American brothers/sisters in arms and hear what their lives are like at Westpoint. In other news RMC stomped Queens at snow sculpting and I played a small part in it. That's all folks, I'm off to enjoy my semaine de relache while it lasts, because I won't be getting anymore for awhile!

Friday, February 01, 2008

What does a calculus professor talk about at a party?

So it's been awhile since I've said much and I could go off on multiple tangents tonight or this morning or what ever time of the day it is. I refuse to go on tangents though, because the word tangent only reminds me of things such as linear algebra, calculus, and my new bestest best friend Engineering Graphics. Hopefully the sarcasm came through on the bestest best friend part. The class is my Friday afternoon reminder of why I must get out of engineering. I can't draw pictures (surprise surprise I think I won a grand total of $1 in about 6 years of submitting art for the Shoal Lake Fair) and I hate drawing pictures (probably why very few of my school notes have drawings on them, unless I was thinking about flying and then I drew pictures of wings and weather systems). Yeah I'm a nerd in the areas of Theory of Flight and Meteorology. I didn't know drawing could be so hard, but it is, and it reminds me that I don't want to spend my life drawing pictures of things and then watching people take 5 years longer then they were given to build the damn thing, which will most likely be smaller then the piece of paper it was drawn on and most likely make a mechanic, electrician, plumber or other trademen wish they'd never slept with the engineer's wife. Fortunately I should be able to switch to something more wordy once this semester is over and my trade is changed to something more along my lines of a good time.

So I promised to not go off on any tangents, so I'll just go off on a rant. Reffing! I'd like to take this oppurtunity to apologize to every referee I have ever lipped off, and I'm not gonna lie the list is probably long. I was voluntold to be a basketball ref this semester. In actuality I've succumbed to a genetic disease passed down to me from my mother. We'll call it the "yeah sure, volunteering for that can't be too bad" disease. I love you Mom, but you know you have that disease. So that's how I fell into the trap of reffing basketball. Probably the most stressful sport for reffing, and I land the gig despite my warning that I know nothing about basketball and even less about reffing. So here I am reffing basketball, and taking crap left, right, and center. I don't think I'll ever treat a ref poorly again now that I know what they go through. So I guess you could call that my life lesson of the week.

I also got my posting messages for the summer. Sounds like May, and June will be spent in the wilds of Quebec once again learning the skills necessary to be an officer in the military and sweating out every ounce of liquid in my body all while cursing the humidity of central Canada. Then the month of July and possibly August, will be spent parler français dans à Kingston ou St. Jean.

Anyways that's all for now. Oh but I have a question. What does a calculus professor talk about at a party? Integrals, derivatives, imaginary numbers? Or something else? Just wondering because I know farmers talks about farming, salesman talk about sales, grain buyers talks about grain buying, doctors talk about medicine, teachers talk about teaching, etc, etc. I also know I just listed about 10 stereotypes, but they're true in a way.

TDV!